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Rams vs Bengals final score prediction: Super Bowl LVI

Three years after his first Super Bowl appearance coach Sean McVay is back with the new version Rams team.

NFL: Super Bowl LVI-SoFi Stadium Views Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

The Los Angeles Rams won the NFC West. They are the Champions of the NFC Conference. They have one more box to check for the ultimate season. To get that check they’ll have to defeat the Cincinnati Bengals in Super Bowl 56. Up this point, the Bengals have won elimination contests against the Las Vegas Raiders, Tennessee Titans, and Kansas City Chiefs. The Rams bested the Arizona Cardinals, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and San Francisco 49ers on their post season road to the big show.

The Rams are 4.5-point favorites against the Bengals, per DraftKings Sportsbook.

NFL: NFC Championship-San Francisco 49ers at Los Angeles Rams Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

This game has been built up as the team fully expected to be here vs the team that no one expected to be here and rightfully so. The Los Angeles Rams are only three years removed from their last appearance in a Super Bowl having played the New England Patriots and Tom Brady in Super Bowl 53. Since then coach Sean McVay and general manager Les Snead have been busy at work retooling the roster to take advantage of the premier talent they’ve had all along and making necessary replacements in order to build on their chances to return and finish the job.

NFL: NFC Championship-San Francisco 49ers at Los Angeles Rams Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

This means making the most of having Aaron Donald, the best defensive player in football, and keeping the positions around him complimentary. Since 2018, the Rams have added Leonard Floyd, Greg Gaines, A’Shawn Robinson, and Von Miller to the defensive front lines to play alongside Donald. This year they have ranked sixth against the rush while posting more than 50 sacks in the regular season.

The Rams defensive line against the Bengals offensive line will be the mismatch to watch in this game. The Bengals allowed the most sacks this season as quarterback Joe Burrow was sacked 51 times. In order to take advantage of the mismatch, the Rams will have to make sure to get pressure while the secondary steps up to complete the stops and takeaways.

NFL: San Francisco 49ers at Los Angeles Rams Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

In the secondary, since 2018, the Rams have added the leagues best defensive back in Jalen Ramsey. Ramsey was named a first team All Pro for the third time in his career this season. He’ll need to be at his best in both coverage and in tackling to help with the coverage on the Bengals receivers. JaMarr Chase, the Bengals top receiver, will be appearing in the Super Bowl in his rookie season. He has proven a worthy top draft pick by putting up 1,455 receiving yards and 13 touchdowns.

NFL: NFC Championship-San Francisco 49ers at Los Angeles Rams Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

The Rams on offense have one of the most notable changes since the last time they played in the Super Bowl which is the addition of quarterback Matthew Stafford who has led the team back to the title game in his first season in Los Angeles. Now 3-0 in the playoffs since joining McVay, he has 905 yards, six touchdowns and one interception in the last three games.

Final Score Prediction: The Rams will beat the Bengals 27-24 but won’t cover the spread.

What’s your prediction? Let us know in the comments.